Of Narcissism and Wheelchairs
by Snavej
Summary: Naru gets hurt on a case and is very frustrated with the consequences. Poor Mai gets caught up in his wroth. [Random two shot, T for occasional language]
1. Chapter 1

If an average of the hospital admissions of the members of the Japanese branch of SPR was taken, then the person with the most would be, by far, Taniyama Mai. Usually her trip would be because she had been locked in a room full of chemicals, knocked out by something or fallen down a well or a sewer.

After her, would probably be Hara Masako, who would be admitted due to falling down stairs, out of a wall or some other high up place.

The third most likely person would be Shibuya Kazuya and there was only ever one reason why he would be sent to hospital; he had used his PK. Such actions would result in heart failure or some other form of collapse.

That is, there was only one reason for his admittance until now.

On a case in a house on the outskirts of Tokyo, a particularly vicious spirit had immediately targeted Shibuya Kazuya or, as he affectionately known by his colleagues, Naru.

The spirit's attacks had started small; slamming a door on his hand, an exploding tea cup and scalding hot water in the shower. But on the final day of the case, the spirit took things a lot further.

"You know, it's kind of nice not being the target of the spirit for once." Mai had been saying as she and Naru had been returning to the base with John and Bou-san in tow.

Yet before Naru could make some sort of cutting remark, he had been thrown forwards down the stairs. John and Bou-san had leapt into action and Mai had run to Naru's side. He had been knocked unconscious and when they arrived at the hospital, they discovered both of his legs had been fractured.

And that was how Naru found himself in his current state; wheelchair bound for a minimum of six to eight weeks with casts around both lower legs. Needless to say, he hated it.

He had had to use the service elevator to get up to the office and had to have Lin move temporarily back in with him to help him do menial tasks that he was unable to without some form of assistance.

Everyone had noticed the foul mood of their boss and had done their best to stay out of his way lest they found themselves the subject of his fury. Lin had known the young man long enough to be able to ignore his actions, but everyone else, excluding Mai who had no choice, had avoided the office like it was contaminated with a deadly virus.

While Naru had been hospitalised, the others had exorcised the spirit and finished the case with Bou-san taking the lead. They had all discovered the reason Naru, out of all of them, had been targeted. Yet all of them had failed to mention the reason to their boss.

"He'll work it out on his own at some point," as Yasuhara had put it.

This had not settled well with Naru. He hated not knowing the reason and yet was too proud to ask any of them. He had, however, pointed out to Mai that she had failed to mention it in her report.

"You asked me to write the report in English, I couldn't adequately portray the reason in another language, so thought I'd leave it to those more fluent in that damn language to fill in the gaps." She had said. "There are several other reports written for this case, I'm sure someone would have mentioned it. I mean, I'll happily write another report with business level kanji with all reasons included if you want?"

And with that she had scooted out of his office without so much as another word. As she had already provided him with tea, he couldn't very well call her back without a good reason. He certainly didn't want a report filled with bloody kanji. It was a stupid writing system.

It took Naru over a week to finally admit that he needed some help while in the wheelchair. It was never with very big things. Usually it was something like holding a door open or carrying something or reaching something from a high shelf. But it had taken him a week to shelve his pride.

Yet a week later and the entire situation had become too much. And unfortunately for Mai, she received the full brunt of Naru's wroth.

She had just brought him a cup of tea when it happened. He had had to cut down on the tea as drinking too much meant needing the relieve himself too often considering the length of time it took to go to the bathroom with the damned wheeled contraption.

"Mai, do you think I contradict myself?" Naru asked casually as she placed the tea on his desk.

"Um, no?" She replied uncertainly.

"Well I either do or I don't."

"No, you don't." Mai stood in front of his desk, clutching her hands in front of body, thoroughly confused by the question.

"Do you think I am cruel? Do I lack empathy?" He spat the questions out at her.

"Well, maybe a little harsh, but not cruel." Mai replied, not meeting his eye. "I mean, you gave me a job, which was because of empathetic feelings towards me, wasn't it?"

He ignored her question.

"Do I lack a mature conscience?"

"What do you mean?"

Naru rolled his eyes.

"Is my moral intelligence that of a six year old? Do you think I wouldn't do something just because it was illegal or would hurt someone?"

"No… You would never try to hurt someone. Why are you asking me these questions?" Mai asked.

But he ignored her question again.

"Do you think me envious or competitive in ridiculous ways?"

"Hardly."

"Do you think me dismissive towards others?" The interrogation continued.

"Well sometimes you appear so, but that's generally because you're thinking further ahead than some people realise."

"Do you think me extremely sensitive to person criticism?"

"No."

"Or extremely critical of other people?"

"Well you can be…"

But Naru was not listening to her answers.

"Do I complain constantly? Am I passive and lacking in initiative?" His voice was beginning to rise in volume. "Am I naïve? Or pathetic despite my arrogant exterior? Do I live in grandiose delusions of my absolute power and genius?" He was almost shouting now. "Do I have no sense of humour? Am I ignorant to the passage of time? Do I suck up to authority figures? And cling to the opinions of said authority figures as if nothing else is more important than their words? Do I work only in order to receive gratification and admiration from lesser beings?" Mai could feel tears coming to her eyes and she began backing away subconsciously. But Naru was not finished yet. "Do I expect privileges to which I do not deserve? Do I pay you so little that you think me overtly frugal? Does nothing other than outward appearances matter to me? Am I impulsive? Do I think any emotion I feel must be felt by everyone? Do I hate myself so much that I hate living alone? Do I? Do I Mai?"

Mai knew if he was capable, Naru would have been on his feet and shouting in her face and she briefly wondered where this anger had come from.

"No…" She whimpered as she shook her head.

"Those are all characteristic behaviours of a narcissist, Mai." He spat her name out like it was venom. "So why, apart from the fact that I recognise my own ability and looks, do you think yourself capable of diagnosing me with such a personality disorder?"

"I… I don't." Mai felt the tears escaping her eyes now. "I never meant any harm from it…"

And she turned and fled from the office. She grabbed her things and left with tears streaming down her face.

"What did you say to Taniyama-san this time?" Lin said from Naru's office door.

"I merely pointed out to her that I barely fit any of the criteria of narcissistic personality disorder." Naru was still fuming.

"And she is crying because…?"

"Do you know how a true narcissist treats someone who loves them?" Naru posed the question after a few seconds silence and Lin shook his head. "They treat them like belongings. If a narcissist knows someone is emotionally attached to them, they use them like a tool. If this usage objected to, then they then employ emotional blackmail against them."

"Your point being?"

"I am disgusted that someone I love thinks that I would treat anyone that way." Naru hissed.

"If you'd admitted that a few weeks ago, then you wouldn't be in the state you are now." Lin turned to leave. "Perhaps you ought to tell Mai that."

"Tell Mai what?"

"Exactly what you just said and no, I'm not driving you anywhere." And Lin returned to his own office, leaving Naru to begin wheeling his way out of the office.

* * *

 **Author's note: So I'm not really sure what happened with this... I just sort of wrote it. I've had the two ideas (Naru in a wheelchair and someone pointing out that he isn't actually a narcissist) in my head for a while and combined them into this.**

 **If anyone is interested in where I got the info about Narcissistic Personality Disorder from give me a shout. I know when it's used in this the anime/manga they just mean it in the way I have interpreted it above. But even if we go back to the route of the idea, with Narcissus staring at his reflection and all, Naru only does that to see Gene... So I don't think it's the same really.**

 **So yeah, please review?**


	2. Chapter 2

It took Naru a long time to wheel the damned chair from the office to Mai's house. A very long time. Fortunately, his anger just about fuelled him.

When he arrived though, he realised he had another problem. Mai's apartment block was old. There was no elevator.

"Damn," he muttered. He wheeled the chair around the building until he could see one of Mai's windows. Could he throw a stone up and tap the window? Would she come down?

As he had no better ideas, Naru scraped around on the floor for some small stones and then began chucking them. He hit what he knew to be Mai's window a few times.

But she did not answer.

She was going to make him do it the hard way.

Scowling, he rolled around to the stairs and stared at the steps. He seriously considered trying to think of a way to use his PK abilities to blast himself up the stairwell. But he knew that would most likely end in a disaster.

Well, they weren't going to climb themselves. He applied the brake to the wheels on his chair, and carefully manoeuvred himself onto the first step.

Naru then proceeded to bum shuffle his way up the steps. His casts finished at a point that would make crawling on his hands and knees extremely uncomfortable.

Why did Mai have to live on the second floor?

Growling and swearing under his breath at the indignity of the situation, Naru continued up the stairs until he arrived on Mai's floor. He then dragged himself using his arms alone along the corridor until he was outside her apartment.

He would have collapsed to the floor from the effort had he not already been on the floor. He twisted onto his back and lay, panting slightly, for a few minutes before knocking on the door.

Mai answered relatively quickly and just stared at him.

He had not bothered to force himself into a sitting position but had remained slumped on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" she asked finally, pretending that it was perfectly normal for her boss to be lying in the corridor outside her apartment.

"Enjoying the view," he replied sarcastically.

Mai sighed and retreated back into her flat, shutting the door behind her.

Naru knocked again.

She waited a few minutes before deigning to open it.

"You really ought to move, someone might walk on you."

"May I come in?"

"Why?"

"To talk to you," Naru said.

"About what?"

"Our conversation earlier."

"I hardly count that as a conversation," Mai retorted. "I think you'll find it was you shouting at me because you can't deal with the fact you are wheelchair bound."

"Fine, I want to talk to you about shouting at you earlier because I can't deal with the fact I am wheelchair bound," Naru said, humouring her. "Though I managed to get up here without it."

"And you're filthy as a result," Mai pointed out.

"Can I come in or not?"

"Fine." Mai turned around and walked back into her apartment, making absolutely no effort to assist her boss. Naru dragged himself inside and towards a sofa.

Mai returned a few minutes later with a singular cup of tea and found Naru sat on the sofa with his eyes closed. He opened them at her approach and stared at the cup of tea. Mai pointedly took a sip and sat down opposite him.

"So?" she prompted.

"It's rude to not to offer your guests a beverage when you are making one for yourself."

"Says the man who is incapable of saying the words 'thank you'," Mai muttered darkly.

"I am perfectly capable; I just choose not to thank my employees for doing their job."

"Jerk," Mai said and she drunk a little more tea. "Shall I call Lin to pick you up then? Or do you plan on crawling out of here?"

"I want to talk to you first," Naru said.

"Well talk then," Mai said impatiently.

"It was wrong of me to shout at you as I did. I vented my frustration onto you and I shouldn't have."

"That all?" Mai intoned with raised eyebrows.

Naru sighed deeply.

"This is ridiculous Mai," he said finally.

"What is?"

"This game we keep playing."

"What game?" Mai asked, frowning.

"Where I pretend to ignore both our feelings and cover it up with shouting matches so I have innocent reasons to look at you," he said in a low voice.

"I think you'll find you are still the one at fault there."

Naru only nodded.

"I enjoy your company Mai," he said a minute later.

"Could've fooled me."

"You aren't making this easy."

Good," Mai said, and she almost smiled.

"I enjoy your company," he repeated.

"You said."

Naru ignored her.

"I would appreciate being able to spend more time with you without arguments," he continued.

"Then stop causing them," Mai said, fully aware that had he had use of his legs, Naru would have walked out a long time ago.

"I was angry before because a person suffering from narcissistic personality disorder treats those that care about them like objects. I would not do that," Naru struggled on.

"No, you prefer to lie to us all and avoid telling us important pieces of information that would've been really useful to know."

"I do that in your best interest."

"That's what you think," Mai said lowly.

"Can't you just accept I care about you?"

"There is very little evidence to support your case, Dr Davis."

Naru refrained very hard from rolling his eyes.

"I trust your observations, Mai, but I know better."

"Of course you do," Mai said, pursing her lips.

"Stop being difficult."

"Why? An hour ago you reduced me to tears! I really don't see why I should try and help you at all!"

"Because I'm trying to tell you I love you!" Naru said loudly.

Mai fell silent at his words.

"Oh." The sound escaped her lips without permission.

"The whole narcissist thing is utterly ridiculous," he went on. "I hate the fact I cannot bring myself to adequately express things like the rest of you do. I envy all of you for being open and unencumbered with the things I have seen. But I do care for all of you. Perhaps my methods seem harsh, but my intentions were always for the benefits of those around me."

"I know," Mai replied quietly.

"So if there is some arrangement we can come to whereby we might spend some time together and argue less, I would very much like that," he continued quietly. "And if it means labelling you as a girlfriend, then so be it."

"That wasn't much of a question."

"Fine, Mai, will you be my girlfriend?" He paused for a moment. "Please," he added.

Mai reached forward and touched his forehead, then sat back frowning and used her little finger to poggle her ear for a moment.

"Yes, you did hear that correctly," Naru said with a wry smile.

"I was just checking."

"Well?"

"I'm still annoyed at you."

"Does that prevent you from answering the question?"

"Well, no, but if I answer how I wish to, you might get the impression I am no longer annoyed at you, and I very much am."

"Mai," Naru said in a warning tone.

"Fine! I'll be your girlfriend." She threw her hands into the air in defeat and badly hid a smile.

"Good, now will you call Lin and ask him to pick me up?"

"No."

"Mai."

"What?"

"Call Lin."

"You call Lin."

"My phone is in the office."

"Well that was a daft place to leave it."

"Surprisingly I had other things on my mind at the time."

"Well I'm still not calling him."

"Why?"

"It's no fun being annoyed at you if you are at the office," Mai said cheerfully.

"Well if I'm stuck here, I want tea."

"Okay then," Mai said. She bounced to her feet and went to make tea.

Naru watched her go and sighed; having a girlfriend was tiring work.

* * *

 **Author's note: So some of you wanted a second chapter and I felt guilty not giving it to you, so here it is! It's really not the best thing I've written and I'm not sure I like the ending but now I can lay this to rest.**

 **Please review!**


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